Reading images

On this page i am going to look into the reading of images and the possible narratives they project

Image one:

This image is obviously read as a sad child. However when we look at this image we obviously ask ourselves why this child is sad. The first thing i notice is the gaze. The subject is not looking into the camera which suggests to me that they are looking at a person possible the parent of the child. This then suggests to me that the child is most likely being told off and it is as simple as that. However there are many other reading of this image. One of which could be that this child is abused in a violent household or even is simply witnessing an act of violence. This again brings us back to the gaze, this child may be watching an act of violence and this could be what is upsetting them. However next we have to look at the clothing. The child is wearing respectable warm clothing which suggests that this child is looked after bringing me back to the point that this child may have just been told off because they were playing up?

The next image i am going to look at is The Identical Twins Diane Arbus 1967

Image two:

In this image we see a set of twins. This obviously screams symmetry and identity. This image could be seen as united identity however if we look closer this is clearly not true. The twin on the right is smiling which may suggest that this is the happier twin, she also stands with her shoulders further forward as well as her hands suggesting that she is also the more confident one. The twin on the left stands at a slight angle with one of her shoulders slightly back this may suggest that she is shy or unhappy. This twin may always be overlooked by the other and this may relate to the way she reacts to the camera.

If we look at this image we see two of the same face however if we look closely we see that many features are different they both have different shaped noses, they have different eyes as the ones on the left are slightly drooped and also they both seem to have different cheek bones.